Gold-testing device.



R. D. VERCLER.

GOLD TESTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1. I916.

Patented June 12, 1917.

WITNESSES mourn/.1. WASNING mu, 0 c.

RAYMOND D. VERCLER, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

GOLD-TESTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 191W.

Application filed November 7, 1916. Serial No. 130,044.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND D. VERQLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GoldTesting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to gold testing devices, known in thejewelry trade as gold testing needles, which are used for testing goldjewelry.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction of such goldtesting needles so as to make them handier in use and of more rigidconstruction than heretofore.

Heretofore gold testing needles have been made separately for eachgrade, and then strung upon a ring so that any chosen one of the needlesmight be utilized. Each needle comprises a main portion of some basemetal, such as brass, with a gold tip or needle point soldered theretoand corresponding in carat or fineness to the gold to be tested. Atesting device so constructed usually comprises nine separate needlesranging in fineness by steps of two carats from four to twenty carats.Such a group of testing needles is mounted upon a retaining ring andeach needle must be separately brought into position, whereby it may berubbed on the touch stone. In order to keep down the bulk of the devicesuch needles must be made rather narrow and thin. The device isdifiicult or awkward to manipulate both because of the grouping andbecause the indicia used to dilferentiate the separate needles are onlyvisible when the needles are spread open. Further the needles aresufliciently delicate in construction to be liable to distortion andinjury.

By the present invention the basic portion of the needles is made in theform of a disk with short stout spokes radiating therefrom and eachspoke at the outer end carries a gold point. The disk may be providedwith a central opening for convenience of manipulation and storage andcausing a corresponding lightening of the weight of the device withoutany sacrifice of rigidity. Each spoke terminates in a dovetail tongueand the needle is provided with a dovetail slot receiving the tongue.Finally the needle point is made fast to the basic portion or support ofthe needle by soldering or otherwise.

Such a device has the advantage of extreme rigidity and actually lessweight than the ordinary group of individual needles. The points aremore rigidly secured than before and the whole structure is far moresturdy than is the case with the customary form of such needles.

The invention will be best uiulerstood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification with thefurther under standing that while the drawings show a practical form ofthe invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity withthe showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long assuch changes and modifications mark no material departure from thesalient features of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the gold testingdevice.

Fig. 2 is a detail of one of the spokes or needles with some parts insection to show the interior structure.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a disk 1 with a central opening2 and a circular series of radially outwardly extending spokes orneedles 3. Each needle 3 terminates at the outer end in a shoulder tfrom which projects radially a dovetail tongue 5. Each needle 3 carriesa small block 6 constituting a point or terminal for the needle, andsuch block 6 is formed of gold of a certain fineness. The degree offineness is indicated by a number shown at 7 which numbers in theparticular showing of the drawing vary from four to twenty by steps oftwo. For instance, the needle point 6 on the needle 3 containing thenumber 4 has a fineness of four carats. The next point in order has afineness of six carats, and so on in order until the last needle pointof the series has a fineness of twenty carats.

The dovetail connection between the ne dles and the points provides aparticularly strong junction which is further strengthened by solder 8applied to the junction. In the showing of the drawings the variousparts are more or less exaggerated in order to more clearly show theconstruction. For instance, the body portion 1, which may be made ofbrass or other base metal in the form of a spider, may be aboutone-sixteenth of an inch in thickness and about two inches in diameterexclusive of the points.

Since the gold points are of far greater value than the brass body, thetongues 5 are formed on the brass body and the grooves for receiving thetongues are formed in the points, wherefore the amount of gold employedis minimized.

The solder 8 is shown as covering the junction between the points andthe needles, but it is evident that the solder may be otherwise appliedso long as the points are firmly attached to the needles withoutliability of loosening therefrom and being lost.

The device is used in the usual manner by rubbing the points upon atouch stone upon which the gold to be tested is also rubbed forcomparison. Vvith the ordinary type of testing device where the needlesare separately mounted upon a. ring so as to be brought one at a time inthe working position, it is not at all uncommon in practice to bend theneedles by the force used in the rubbing action.

With the present invention the needles may be made much sturdier and canbe con siderably shortened. For instance, in commercial forms of needlesthe body portion is about one and one-half inches in length. lVith thepresent invention the body portion need not exceed three eighths of aninch in length. By arranging the needles as a circular series ofradially projecting arms of a spider, the device occupies considerablyless space than in prior structures for a like purpose, and the body maybe made considerably thicker or of much heavier gage metal.

Moreover, all the numbers indicating the fineness of the gold points arealways visible and the desired point can be chosen quickly and withoutthe necessity of hunting through and moving a large number of points tofind the desired one.

The dovetail connection holds the point in place and the junction isfurther strengthened by the application of hard solder so that themechanical connection greatly strengthens the junction between the bodyof the needle and the point and is far superior to the use of solderalone as has heretofore been the custom, which prior custom frequentlyresults in the breaking off of the points.

Furthermore, the base has a decided advantage in ease and cheapness ofmanufacture, since the body of the device may be made of a singlestamping instead of necessitating nine stampings and a support, as isthe case with the customary commercial forms of testing devices of thegeneral character of the present invention.

The use of the device is facilitated by having the opening 2 of a sizeto seat the ball of the thumb.

hat is claimed is l. A gold testing needle structure, comprising a onepiece body member of disk form having a circumferential series of armsor needles projecting radially therefrom, and gold points of varyingdegrees of fineness carried by respective arms or needles, and each armhaving thereon indicia repre senting the degree of fineness in gold ofthe point carried thereby.

2. A gold testing needle device comprising a disk of relatively basemetal of suitable gage in the form of a spider having relatively shortarms projecting radially therefrom and constituting the bodies of theneedles, and a needle point of gold on each arm, the points varying infineness in gold and the arms having indicia thereon indicating thedegree of fineness ofthe respective points.

3. A gold testing needle device comprising a disk of sheet metal witharms radiating therefrom and each terminating in a tongue, and a seriesofgold needle points, one for each tongue, and each provided with. agroove receiving the tongue of the respective arm or needle, the devicehaving indicia indicating the degree of fineness in gold of therespective points.

4. A gold testing needle device comprising a disk of sheet metal with aperipheral series of radial arms projecting therefrom and each armterminating in a dovetail tongue, and a series of gold points eachindividual to a respective arm and provided with a dovetail groove forreceiving the tongue of the arm, with the points soldered to the arms,the arms having indicia thereon denoting the degree of fineness in goldof the respective gold points.

5. A gold testing needle device comprising a disk of sheet metal with aperipheral series of radial arms projecting therefrom and each armterminating in a dovetail tongue, and a series of gold points eachindividual to a respective arm and provided with a dovetail groove forreceiving the tongue of the arm, with the points soldered to the arms,the arms having indicia thereon denoting the degree of finenessin goldof the respective gold points, and the device having a central openingtherethrough of a size to seat the ball of the thumb of the user.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

RAYMOND D. VERCLER.

WVitnesses W. C. KL IsT, NORMAN L. ENTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

